370.4 $
million project
Battlefield Airlifter and Main Operating Base Facilities
RPS Defence project specialists have shaped the delivery of infrastructure to support the introduction of new airlift capability into service at Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Base Amberley.
Challenge
With Defence acquiring the first aircraft in its fleet of C-27J Spartan ‘Battlefield Airlifters’ in 2015, a major program of work was initiated to enable the relocation of No 35 Squadron from New South Wales to RAAF Base Amberley in Queensland.
A multi-phase initiative worth more than $370 million, the project involved developing new capability support and sustainment infrastructure for the Squadron and new facilities for RAAF Base Amberley.
Solution
As RAAF Base Amberley is already home to a number of strategic Defence capabilities, introducing new personnel and facilities at Amberley was an intricate project that required careful phasing to ensure that RAAF operations could be maintained throughout.
The project delivered dedicated facilities for No 35 Squadron (including working accommodation, hangars and aprons), as well as substantial upgrades to base infrastructure and facilities (including Transit Accommodation, Fire Station, Base Briefing Room, Heritage building relocation and Australian Air Force Cadet Facilities) that were displaced by the new No 35 Squadron facilities.
Throughout the project, our team worked through a number of challenges including scope, budget, site issues, environmental and heritage requirements and the need to ensure all facilities were fit for Defence purposes.
Taking six years to develop and deliver, the final phase of work on the Battlefield Airlifter and Main Operating Base Facilities Project was handed over to Defence in June 2019.
Project stats
11
stage project
6
year initiative
4
sites
Awards
- Australian Institute of Project Management (AIPM) Project Management Award for Excellence – Australian Defence/Aerospace Project of the Year (2019)
- Australian Institute of Project Management (AIPM) Project Management Award for Excellence – Queensland Defence/Aerospace Project of the Year (2019)
